Did Davis rejuvenate Perry in Texas?

posted at 10:41 am on July 2, 2013 by Ed Morrissey

Until last week, Rick Perry had slipped off of the national political radar. His upcoming decision on whether to seek a historic fourth term in office had barely been noticed, and those who had predicted that Perry would take a pass on another big political fight. That’s when Wendy Davis shot to notoriety in her filibuster of a popular late-term abortion ban — and put Perry back on the map, according to Sean Sullivan at the Washington Post:

Rick Perry might well owe Wendy Davis a thank you card one day.

The pitched battle over abortion law in Texas has thrust the longtime Republican governor back into the center of the political universe with social conservatives squarely in his corner. All in all, it’s not a bad place for him to be right now. …

Perry hasn’t announced whether he will run for reelection yet. If he decides to pursue a fourth full term, he would do so on the heels of the current abortion fight with renewed credibility among conservative voters who wield major clout in Texas.

Yes, Perry and his Republican colleagues suffered an embarrassing setback last week when Davis, a Democratic state senator, successfully stymied a bill to tighten abortion restrictions. But Perry’s swift call for a new session to reconsider the bill and his provocative rhetoric in recent days has made him the face of the social conservative movement in Texas right now. And the more heat he faces from the left, the better his brand will be on the right. Just ask Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who survived a 2011 recall attempt and vocal protests a year earlier en route to becoming a conservative hero.

If Sullivan’s right, then the man who may have lost the most is Greg Abbott. Sullivan notes that the Attorney General has started ramping up his own bid for Perry’s job, on the premise that Perry would vacate it soon. Many of us have been receiving “General Abbott” e-mails asking for donations for his big move. Perry’s sudden intervention and high-profile rallying call could very well swamp out Abbott’s ambitions for 2014, if for no other reason than Perry sucking up all the oxygen among Texas conservatives — especially, as Sullivan notes, the Left in Texas takes the bait and starts attacking him personally.

Jen Rubin believes Perry is on the right track, even if he stumbled a bit at the start:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) got off on the wrong foot in the Wendy Davis abortion fightby violating the first rule for all male politicians: Never take issue with a woman’s personal life story. There is some irresistible urge that seems to bedevil some sincere pro-life advocates (e.g. Richard Mourdock), causing them to make precisely the wrong argument at the wrong time.

Moreover, for Wendy Davis to accuse Perry of making political hay over the abortion issue is rich. She’s gone from unknown state legislator to feminist icon in a few days. As for her charge of “bullying,” it was actually the pro-choice people in the gallery that tried to disrupt the legislature last week. …

On the substance, Perry is in tune with his voters and the country at large in opposing late-term abortion. That view is a rare point of agreement in the abortion argument. That is why, perhaps, Davis doesn’t use the word “abortion” but instead refers to “women’s choices” or “women’s health” or “women’s rights.” Like many pro-choice advocates, her goal is to make this a unilateral decision by the woman rather than a balance between the rights of the child and the woman. Only then does the “war on women” make sense. (Are pro-abortion forces waging a war on babies?)

As for the specific health regulations (e.g. maintaining surgical center standards) it is hard to argue on one hand that pro-lifers are endangering women’s health while simultaneously objecting to stricter health regulations.

It’s also rather rich when pro-abortion forces argue that men have no say in how government should protect human life. Once human life has begun — which, scientifically speaking, begins with conception and mitosis — then anyone with 23 pairs of chromosomes has a say in how policy should be crafted to deal with it, at least in a representative democratic republic. It’s best to leave the personal attacks based on gender to the pro-abortion side.

We will know more about Perry’s intentions after this special session, which may last until the end of the month. Assuming that Republicans win this fight and that Perry remains in the lead on it, he’ll be in the best position possible to announce another run for the top job. If he does and he wins it, Perry may feel inclined to send Davis another pair of pink running shoes in gratitude.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Texas gov usually call a special session for one issue to avoid having the legislature avoid dealing w/ something they may not want to deal with. if you give them several issues it can get chaotic. he gave them one issue, sentencing, and when it was apparent they had made progress and werent going to get bogged down he added abortion. nothing out of the ordinary or nefarious. been that way for decades.

funny how you disagree and cite reagan, who chose a more liberal running mate. the national party wont allow perry to go right w/ his choice. they would consider him too far right already. and he still has to keep the more liberal repubs from defecting or staying home. someone who has flirted w/ immigration reform and expanded background checks but not jumped in feet first and tried to lead on those issues would be perfect.

funny how you disagree and cite reagan, who chose a more liberal running mate. the national party wont allow perry to go right w/ his choice. they would consider him too far right already. and he still has to keep the more liberal repubs from defecting or staying home. someone who has flirted w/ immigration reform and expanded background checks but not jumped in feet first and tried to lead on those issues would be perfect.

chasdal on July 2, 2013 at 12:24 PM

I see your point…

Yet if Perry runs and wins he’ll do it on an anti-washington platform.

Tejanos will campaign nationally for Perry especially if he chose a hispanic running mate they can get behind…Like Martinez or Sandoval. Since Hillary will try and make this the Year of the Woman my bet will be on Martinez.

I think the liberals are afraid that trying to grow a political career on the image of dead babies is not very smart. We all know that most of the democrats already do this. 10 states already have laws like the one Texas is trying to pass. Wendy Davis would probably become an abortionist if she thought it would propel her political career. Problem is – she is white and female…..

I’m sure it is ‘locatable’ on the web, where you’ll find a comparison of King Putt and Gov. Perry. The photos are of the two in their formative years. First photo is Perry climbing up the access ladder to the single seat fighter (an F-16 was it?) when Perry was young and the contrasting photo is of President Hopium Present DoubleDownGrade sitting on a couch taking a big drag on a MauiWowieBomber. Yea, too bad it didn’t get more distribution.

Oh and Perry shows good firearm safety discipline. Note his trigger finger on the frame of the receiver as compared to certain Senator (Turn Them All In, America) Diane Feinstein with finger on trigger and muzzle covering the audience. As an NRA Instructor, I just bristle at such stupid behavior.

You’re looking good, Rick. Just keep doing what you’re doing. This abortion brouhaha will die down in a couple of weeks. Keep wooing businesses in blue states to relocate. As most QOTD’ians know, hes my primary pick as the next pub nominee. My second pick is also very formidable, but ain’t in the news presently. Both are sitting governors.

You’re looking good, Rick. Just keep doing what you’re doing. This abortion brouhaha will die down in a couple of weeks. Keep wooing businesses in blue states to relocate. As most QOTD’ians know, hes my primary pick as the next pub nominee. My second pick is also very formidable, but ain’t in the news presently. Both are sitting governors.

Perry’s never gonna be the Ivy League approved media darling …He’s an Aggie and a Po’ Texas cotton farmin’/Rancher boy who worked his way up.

Perry’s strength has always been meeting voters…They like him when they meet him.

workingclass artist on July 2, 2013 at 1:01 PM

if he were to get the nomination being able to point out he went to a state school like the majority of americans will be a real connection. the fact that he is genuine in those aspects of his background is why he can connect when pressing the flesh. as much as people on here rail against low info voters those are they types that perry draws on personality cause they sense an affinity w/ im that elitist pols dont have. and personality is the best way to win them since they so no desire to be informed on the issues. likability is something the last 2 repub presidential candidates just didnt have.

if he were to get the nomination being able to point out he went to a state school like the majority of americans will be a real connection. the fact that he is genuine in those aspects of his background is why he can connect when pressing the flesh. as much as people on here rail against low info voters those are they types that perry draws on personality cause they sense an affinity w/ im that elitist pols dont have. and personality is the best way to win them since they so no desire to be informed on the issues. likability is something the last 2 repub presidential candidates just didnt have.

chasdal on July 2, 2013 at 1:51 PM

Remember this?

“It is great to be at RedState. And I’ll tell you what, it’s even better to be governor of the largest red state in America.

It’s sure good to be back in the Palmetto State, in South Carolina. I enjoy coming to places where people elect folks like Nikki Haley, true conservatives. And also where they love the greatest fighting force on the face of the earth…the United States Military.

And I want to take a moment and ask you to just take a silence, think about those young Navy SEALs and the other special operators who gave it all in the service of their country. Just take a moment to say Thank you, Lord, that we have those kind of selfless, sacrificial men and women. Their sacrifice was immeasurable, their dedication profound, and we will never, ever forget them.

I stand before you today as the governor of Texas. But I also stand before you the son of two tenant farmers, Ray Perry, who came home after 35 bombing missions over Europe to work his little corner of land out there, and Amelia who made sure my sister Milla and I had everything that we needed, including hand-sewing my clothes until I went off to college.

I am also the product of a place called Paint Creek. Doesn’t have a zip code. It’s too small to be called a town along the rolling plains of Texas. We grew dryland cotton and wheat, and when I wasn’t farming or attending Paint Creek Rural School, I was generally over at Troop 48 working on my Eagle Scout award.

Around the age of 8, I was blessed – didn’t realize it, but I was blessed to meet my future wife, Anita Thigpen, at a piano recital. We had our first date eight years later. And she finally agreed to marry me 16 years after that. Nobody says I am not persistent.

There is no greater way to live life than with someone you love, and my first love is with us today, my lovely wife Anita. We’re also blessed to have two incredible children, Griffin and Sydney, and they are also with us today, and our wonderful daughter-in-law Meredith. I’d just like to introduce those two. Thank you.

What I learned growing up on the farm was a way of life that was centered on hard work, and on faith and on thrift. Those values have stuck with me my whole life. But it wasn’t until I graduated from Texas A&M University and joined the United States Air Force, flying C-130’s all around the globe, that I truly appreciated the blessings of freedom.

o paraphrase Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, I realized that the United States of America really is the last great hope of mankind. What I saw was systems of government that elevated rulers at the expense of the people. Socialist systems cloaked maybe in good intentions but were delivering misery and stagnation. And I learned that not everyone values life like we do in America, or the rights that are endowed to every human being by a loving God.

You see, as Americans we’re not defined by class, and we will never be told our place. What makes our nation exceptional is that anyone, from any background, can climb the highest of heights. As Americans, we don’t see the role of government as guaranteeing outcomes, but allowing free men and women to flourish based on their own vision, their hard work and their personal responsibility. And as Americans, we realize there is no taxpayer money that wasn’t first earned by the sweat and toil of one of our citizens.

That’s why we reject this President’s unbridled fixation on taking more money out of the wallets and pocketbooks of American families and employers and giving it to a central government. “Spreading the wealth” punishes success while setting America on course to greater dependency on government. Washington’s insatiable desire to spend our children’s inheritance on failed “stimulus” plans and other misguided economic theories have given us record debt and left us with far too many unemployed.

But of course, now we’re told we are in recovery. Yeah.

But this sure doesn’t feel like a recovery to more than nine percent of Americans out there who are unemployed, or the sixteen percent of African Americans and 11 percent of Hispanics in the same position, or the millions more who can only find part-time work, or those who have stopped even looking for a job.

One in six work-eligible Americans cannot find a full-time job. That is not a recovery. That is an economic disaster.

If you think about it, for those Americans who do have full-time jobs, they aren’t experiencing economic recovery with the rising fuel costs and the food prices that are going up. Recovery is a meaningless word if the bank has foreclosed on your home, if you are under water on your mortgage, or if you are up to the max on your credit card debt. Those Americans know that this President and his big-spending, big-government policies have prolonged our national misery, not alleviated it.

And what do we say to our children? Y’all figure it out? Don’t worry, Washington’s created 17 debt and entitlement commissions in 30 years, but the fact of the matter is they just didn’t have the courage to make the decisions to allow you to have the future that you actually deserve? That Washington wouldn’t even make modest entitlement program reforms in this last debate? And the President even refused to lay out a plan, for fear of the next election? How can the wealthiest nation in the history of civilization fail so miserably to pay its bills? How does that happen?

Well, Mr. President, let us tell you something: you can’t win the future by selling America off to foreign creditors.

We cannot afford four more years of this rudderless leadership. Last week, that leadership failed, and the tax and spend and borrow agenda of this President led to the first ever downgrade of the credit rating of the United States of America.

In reality though, this is just the most recent downgrade. The fact is for nearly three years President Obama has been downgrading American jobs. He’s been downgrading our standing in the world. He’s been downgrading our financial stability. He’s been downgrading our confidence, and downgrading the hope for a better future for our children. That’s a fact.

His policies are not only a threat to this economy, so are his appointees – a threat. You see he stacked the National Labor Relations Board with anti-business cronies who want to dictate to a private company, Boeing, where they can build a plant. No president, no president should kill jobs in South Carolina, or any other state for that matter, simply because they choose to go to a right-to-work state.

You see, when the Obama Administration is not stifling economic growth with over-regulation, they are achieving the same through their reckless spending. Debt is not only a threat to our economy, but also to our security.

America’s standing in the world is in peril, not only because of disastrous economic policies, but from the incoherent muddle that they call foreign policy. Our president has insulted our friends and he’s encouraged our enemies, thumbing his nose at traditional allies like Israel. He seeks to dictate new borders for the Middle East and the oldest democracy there, Israel, while he is an abject failure in his constitutional duty to protect our borders in the United States.

His foreign policy seems to be based on alienating our traditional allies, while basing our domestic agenda on importing those failed Western European social values. We don’t need a president who apologizes for America. We need a president who protects and projects those values.

Look, it’s pretty simple: we’re going to stand with those who stand with us, and we will vigorously defend our interests. And those who threaten our interests, harm our citizens – we will simply not be scolding you, we will defeat you.

Our nation cannot and it must not endure four more years of aimless foreign policy. We cannot and must not endure four more years of rising unemployment, rising taxes, rising debt, rising energy dependence on nations that intend us harm.

It is time to get America working again. To get citizens – to get our citizens working in good jobs and getting the government to working for the people again.

Page one of any economic plan to get America working is to give a pink slip to the current resident in the White House.

Listen, we just got to get back to the basic truths of economic success. As Governor, I’ve had to deal with the consequences of this national recession. In 2003, and again this year, my state faced billions of dollars in budget shortfalls. But we worked hard, we made tough decisions, we balanced our budget. Not by raising taxes, but by setting priorities and cutting government spending. It can and it must be done in Washington, DC.

Dr. Schwertner (State Representative, R-Williamson County, TX), we have led Texas based on some just really pretty simple guiding principles. One is don’t spend all of the money. Two is keeping the taxes low and under control. Three is you have your regulatory climate fair and predictable. Four is reform the legal system so frivolous lawsuits don’t paralyze employers that are trying to create jobs.

Over the years, we have followed this recipe to produce the strongest economy in the nation. Since June of 2009, Texas is responsible for more than 40 percent of all of the new jobs created in America.

Now think about that. We’re home to less than 10 percent of the population in America, but forty percent of all the new jobs were created in that state.

I’ve cut taxes. I have delivered historic property tax reductions. I was the first governor since World War II to cut general revenue spending in our state budget. We passed lawsuit reform, including just this last session a “loser pays” law to stop the frivolous lawsuits that were happening.

And I know I’ve talked a lot about Texas here in the last little bit. I’m a Texan and proud of it. But first, and foremost, I’m an incredibly proud American.

And I know something: America is not broken. Washington, D.C., is broken!

We need balanced budgets. We need lower taxes. We need less regulation. And we need civil justice reform – those same four principles. Our country’s most urgent need is to revitalize our economy, stop the generational theft that is going on with this record debt.

I come to South Carolina because I will not sit back and accept the path that America is on. Because a great country requires a better direction. Because a renewed nation needs a new president.

It is time to get America working again. And that’s why, with the support of my family, and an unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today as a candidate for President of the United States.

It’s time for America to believe again. It’s time to believe that the promise of our future is far greater than even our best days behind us. It’s time to believe again in the potential of private enterprise, set free from the shackles of overbearing federal government. And it’s time to truly restore our standing in the world, and renew our faith in freedom as the best hope for peace in this world that’s beset with strife.

The change we seek will never emanate out of Washington, D.C. It will come from the windswept prairies of Middle America, the farms and factories across this great land, from the hearts and minds of the goodhearted Americans who will accept not a future that is less than our past, patriots – patriots who will not be consigned to a fate of less freedom in exchange for more government.

We do not have to accept our current circumstances. We will change them. We are Americans. That’s what we do. We roll up our sleeves. We go to work. We fix things.

We stand up and proudly proclaim that Washington is not our caretaker and we reject the state that, in Margaret Thatcher’s words, she said a state that takes too much from us in order to do too much for us.

We will not stand for that any longer.We’re dismayed at the injustice that nearly half of all Americans don’t even pay any income tax. And you know the liberals out there are saying that we need to pay more. We are indignant about leaders who do not listen and spend money faster than they can print it.

In America, the people are not subjects of government. The government is subject to the people. And it is up to us, to this present generation of Americans, to take a stand for freedom, to send a message to Washington that we’re taking our future back from the grips of central planners who would control our healthcare, who would spend our treasure, who downgrade our future and micro-manage our lives.

It is time to limit and simplify the taxes in this country. We have to quit spending money we don’t have. We need to get our fiscal house in order and restore our good credit. And we will repeal this President’s misguided, one-size-fits-all government healthcare plan immediately.

We’ll create jobs. We’ll get America working again. We’ll create jobs and we’ll build wealth, we’ll truly educate and innovate in science, and in technology, engineering and math. We’ll create the jobs and the progress needed to get America working again.

And I’ll promise you this: I’ll work every day to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can.

And at the same time, we’ll be freeing our families and small businesses and states from the burdensome and costly federal government so those groups can create, innovate and succeed.

I believe in America. I believe in Her purpose and Her promise. I believe Her best days have not yet been lived. I believe Her greatest deeds are reserved for the generations to come. With the help and the courage of the American people, we will get our country working again. God bless you and God bless the United States of America. – Text of Gov. Rick Perry Presidential Candidacy Announcement Speech. RedState Gathering. Saturday August 13, 2011

Yeah, he did.
That’s why I don’t post there any more. RedState has gone to pot for various reasons. I’ve looked in a few times and the old posters are nowhere to be found……gone in the wind.

Personally, I don’t trust Erickson. After seeing how he treated Perry, I think he’s an opportunist(posing as a conservative when it’s “convenient” to get a job as a token on CNN). As a result of his actions, he’s lost many of his former posters/supporters.

I wish Perry would just say enough is enough. A good many of us Texans, while conservative, have tired of his entrenched power and his cronyism in the state government. I thought it was just Democrats who overstayed their welcome in office. When Perry completes this term, he’ll already have served longer as governor than FDR did as President. You’d think people would paint him as an egomaniac and a career politician by now. What happened to serving your customary two terms and grooming a successor to your office? How about resting for a few months and then concentrating fully on the White House in 2016?

I wish Perry would just say enough is enough. A good many of us Texans, while conservative, have tired of his entrenched power and his cronyism in the state government. I thought it was just Democrats who overstayed their welcome in office. When Perry completes this term, he’ll already have served longer as governor than FDR did as President. You’d think people would paint him as an egomaniac and a career politician by now. What happened to serving your customary two terms and grooming a successor to your office? How about resting for a few months and then concentrating fully on the White House in 2016?

TMOverbeck on July 2, 2013 at 2:32 PM

To answer your first question…Obama.

To answer your second question…Perry may do just that.

Abbott wants the job & he may get it (Perry would likely campaign for him) Neither wants to run against the other for Governor.

A lot is gonna depend on whether Perry can get his funding base to back him for another national run.

* Alabama*: Gov. Robert Bentley (R) on Nov. 13 announced that Alabama will not participate in the Medicaid expansion because the state “simply cannot afford it” (Gadsden Times, 11/13).
* Georgia*: Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Politico/11 Alive interview on Aug. 28 said, “No, I do not have any intentions of expanding Medicaid,” adding, “I think that is something our state cannot afford.” When asked about the insurance exchanges, Deal said “we do have a time frame for making the decision on that I think, especially on the exchanges,” adding that “we have just a few days after the election in order to make a final determination on that” (Wingfield, “Kyle Wingfield,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/28/12).
* Idaho*: Gov. C.L. Otter (R) in his 2013 State of the State address delivered on Jan. 7 said that while “there is broad agreement that the existing Medicaid program is broken,” the state “face[s] no immediate federal deadline” to address the situation. He added, “We have time to do this right … [s]o I’m seeking no expansion of” the program. Otter said he’s instructed the state Health and Welfare director to “flesh out a plan” that focuses on potential costs, savings and economic impact, which he plans to introduce in 2014 (Ritter Saunders, Boise State Public Radio, 1/7/13; Young, Huffington Post, 1/7; Petcash, KTVB, 1/7/13).
* Louisiana*: Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) in an NBC “Meet the Press” interview on July 1 said, “Every governor’s got two critical decisions to make. One is do we set up these exchanges? And, secondly, do we expand Medicaid? And, no, in Louisiana, we’re not doing either one of those things” (Barrow, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/2/12).
* Maine*: Gov. Paul LePage (R) on Nov. 16 said that Maine will not participate in the Medicaid expansion. He called the expansion and the state-based insurance exchanges a “degradation of our nation’s premier health care system” (Mistler, Kennebec Journal, 11/16/12).
* Mississippi*: Gov. Phil Bryant (R) on Nov. 7 said Mississippi will not participate in the Medicaid expansion, reiterating previous statements that he had made about the ACA provision (Pender/Hall, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 11/7/12).
* North Carolina: Gov. Pat McCrory (R) on Feb. 12 announced that his state will not expand Medicaid or establish its own health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. McCrory said state officials conducted a comprehensive analysis to determine the advantages and disadvantages of expanding Medicaid and the right type of exchange option in the state, and concluded that it is “abundantly clear that North Carolina is not ready to expand the Medicaid system and that we should utilize a federal exchange.” He said the review included discussions with other governors, White House officials, health care providers, and leaders in the state Legislature (Binker/Burns, “@NCCapitol,” WRAL, 2/12/13; Cornatzer, Raleigh News & Observer, 2/12/13).
* Oklahoma: Gov. Mary Fallin (R) on Nov. 19 said Oklahoma will not participate in the Medicaid expansion. “Oklahoma will not be participating in the Obama Administration’s proposed expansion of Medicaid,” she said in a statement. She noted that the program would cost the state as much as $475 million over the next eight years (Greene, Tulsa World, 11/19/12).
* Pennsylvania*: Gov. Tom Corbett (R) on Feb. 5 sent a letter to HHS saying he “cannot recommend a dramatic Medicaid expansion” in Pennsylvania because “it would be financially unsustainable for Pennsylvania taxpayers.” He noted that the expansion would necessitate “a large tax increase on Pennsylvania families” (Tolland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2/5/13).
* South Carolina*: Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on July 1 announced via Facebook that South Carolina “will NOT expand Medicaid, or participate in any health exchanges.” The state Legislature is expected to make a decision on the Medicaid expansion during the 2013 session (Gov. Haley Facebook page, 7/1/12; Holleman, Columbia State, 11/9/12).
* South Dakota: Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) in his annual budget address on Dec. 4 said he does not plan to participate in the Medicaid expansion. “I really think it would be premature to expand this year,” he said, adding that he hoped for more flexibility for the state program (Montgomery, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 12/4/12).
* Texas*: Gov. Rick Perry (R) in a statement on July 9 said, “If anyone was in doubt, we in Texas have no intention to implement so-called state exchanges or to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare.” Perry also sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on July 9 asserting this position. The Dallas Morning News reported that on Nov. 8, Perry reiterated his opposition to the expansion, saying, “Nothing changes from our perspective” (Office of Gov. Perry release, 7/9/12; Gov. Perry letter, 7/9/12; Garrett, Dallas Morning News, 11/11/12).
* Wisconsin*: Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Feb. 13 announced his rejection of the Medicaid expansion. He proposed an alternative plan that would expand coverage to low-income state residents through private health care exchanges (Spicuzza, Wisconsin State Journal, 2/13/13).

Text last updated on June 14, 2013. States are categorized based on statements from governors or enacted state laws.

* indicates a state’s participation in the multistate lawsuit against ACA

“During the health care debate, Democrats decided that, since they controlled 60 votes in the Senate, they should pass the most liberal bill that could get that vote total, rather than a much less comprehensive bill that may have enjoyed broader support. They also made the calculation that, once they passed the law and the debate moved away from the ugly legislative process, then the public would come to embrace it.

Instead, the law’s popularity has declined, and it cost Democrats control of the House of Representatives in 2010, while also fueling the Republican takeover of many of the nation’s governorships and state legislatures.

Now, many Republicans are using their elected offices to resist the law, as they were elected to do. So, let us not forget that the reason why Republicans have the power to resist Obamacare is because of Obamacare…”

Paul also addressed the common anti-immigration belief that undocumented workers “steal” low-paying jobs from America’s labor pool. “I haven’t met any farmers who say Americans will pick crops,” he said.

This is a silly argument.

Farmer worker salaries are depressed because we allow illegals to take them.

At the same time we make some flavor of welfare, which pays more then said depressed salaries, available to almost every American.

When it pays more to sit on your couch all day then to do hard work what is the expectation as to what will happen?

End welfare programs, at least of able bodied adults, and get serious about enforcing immigration laws and then yes you will see Americans willing to take the jobs.

Now this will mean the liberal upper middle class paying more for their arugula and landscaping work but…too bad…

18-1 on July 2, 2013 at 12:16 PM

Yes. If you can’t get someone to pick your crops for you, maybe you need to pay them a higher wage instead of importing slaves to do it for you. Or, if crops are rotting in the field, maybe someone will invent a machine to do it for way cheaper.

It should be pointed out also that GovPat undid Chicken Bev Perdue’s proclamation that NC WOULD create the exchanges, he has also walked back much of the crap she rammed through at the last minute before she was ousted.

Rick Perry is running for President in 2016. He wanted this fight with the fanatically pro-abortion ninnies in Austin. He has got his political opponents on camera chanting “hail Satan” and they are going to get destroyed when the final vote is taken in the Senate. Perry made mistakes in 2012, but he learned from them and he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in ’16.